“You notice that people who go away to college, go away to work, end up coming back to Pittsburgh,” Dupuis said. “I've been here for six years, and I can see why. I've made a lot of friends away from hockey. My kids have made a lot of friends. By the time this contract is done, it'll hopefully be 10 years. “How much more do I need?” Dupuis said. “I thought of it that way. Do you want to mess with how things are working for the chance to get $200,000, $300,000 or maybe $400,000 more a year? I didn't. “You guys don't even know,” Dupuis said. “We have the biggest stick budget in the NHL by about a million. Everybody is A1 — the athletic trainers, the equipment guys. Anything you need, you'll get.”

“There are no worries here,” Letang said. “Not like in New York, with the media. Not like in Montreal, where you can't go to dinner without everybody knowing what you had to eat. Yeah, in Montreal, it would have been fun to play in my hometown, but it would have been tough for my family. The Penguins treat their players well, but Mario and Ray do great things for players' families, as well,” Letang said. “I've seen that with guys like Dupuis and Geno. I thought about all that. Maybe it's the same way other places. I don't know. I know what it's like here. I want to win. I also want to be where it feels right.”

“You notice that people who go away to college, go away to work, end up coming back to Pittsburgh,” Dupuis said. “I've been here for six years, and I can see why. I've made a lot of friends away from hockey. My kids have made a lot of friends. By the time this contract is done, it'll hopefully be 10 years. “How much more do I need?” Dupuis said. “I thought of it that way. Do you want to mess with how things are working for the chance to get $200,000, $300,000 or maybe $400,000 more a year? I didn't. “You guys don't even know,” Dupuis said. “We have the biggest stick budget in the NHL by about a million. Everybody is A1 — the athletic trainers, the equipment guys. Anything you need, you'll get.”

“There are no worries here,” Letang said. “Not like in New York, with the media. Not like in Montreal, where you can't go to dinner without everybody knowing what you had to eat. Yeah, in Montreal, it would have been fun to play in my hometown, but it would have been tough for my family. The Penguins treat their players well, but Mario and Ray do great things for players' families, as well,” Letang said. “I've seen that with guys like Dupuis and Geno. I thought about all that. Maybe it's the same way other places. I don't know. I know what it's like here. I want to win. I also want to be where it feels right.”

As an outsider, I've always been impressed with the people and the attitudes in Western PA when I travel there a couple times a year. We consider all of PA to be in the East, but Pittsburgh feels like the Midwest to me.

pressure=9Pa wrote:As an outsider, I've always been impressed with the people and the attitudes in Western PA when I travel there a couple times a year. We consider all of PA to be in the East, but Pittsburgh feels like the Midwest to me.

I have a friend who lives in Lebanon, PA and she says there's a marked difference in the general attitudes of people out this way compared to Eastern PA. I'm sure you can figure out what those differences are.

Two points here. 1) Y'all know where I'm from, and I love my hometown. But every time I come to Pittsburgh, I also feel like I'm home. Maybe because I always stay in the same hotel when I'm here. Maybe it's because I go to pretty much the same haunts when I'm here. I also have gotten to know the roads and how to get around. Maybe it's because I have a couple of friends here. Anyway, I love this place and I know good folks when I see them, and there are lot's of them here. I guess I'm not the only one. 2) As far as the players and the "hometown discount", I believe they are truly happy here and they know that "you don't mess with happy"!

Big Easy Pens Fan wrote:Two points here. 1) Y'all know where I'm from, and I love my hometown. But every time I come to Pittsburgh, I also feel like I'm home. Maybe because I always stay in the same hotel when I'm here. Maybe it's because I go to pretty much the same haunts when I'm here. I also have gotten to know the roads and how to get around. Maybe it's because I have a couple of friends here. Anyway, I love this place and I know good folks when I see them, and there are lot's of them here. I guess I'm not the only one. 2) As far as the players and the "hometown discount", I believe they are truly happy here and they know that "you don't mess with happy"!

I live in St. Louis, and I always tell this story when people ask me about Pittsburgh, being a Pens fan...

My first trip out there was in college. I drove to Philly for a game there first. While there, we were given directions that sent us to the complete wrong side of town on purpose, and people were generally dicks. Then, when we drove back to Pitt, after we came out of the tunnel and were on the bridge (Ft. Pitt?) someone saw us with a map and actually rolled down their window and asked if we needed help.

Big Easy Pens Fan wrote:Two points here. 1) Y'all know where I'm from, and I love my hometown. But every time I come to Pittsburgh, I also feel like I'm home. Maybe because I always stay in the same hotel when I'm here. Maybe it's because I go to pretty much the same haunts when I'm here. I also have gotten to know the roads and how to get around. Maybe it's because I have a couple of friends here. Anyway, I love this place and I know good folks when I see them, and there are lot's of them here. I guess I'm not the only one. 2) As far as the players and the "hometown discount", I believe they are truly happy here and they know that "you don't mess with happy"!

Big Easy Pens Fan wrote:Two points here. 1) Y'all know where I'm from, and I love my hometown. But every time I come to Pittsburgh, I also feel like I'm home. Maybe because I always stay in the same hotel when I'm here. Maybe it's because I go to pretty much the same haunts when I'm here. I also have gotten to know the roads and how to get around. Maybe it's because I have a couple of friends here. Anyway, I love this place and I know good folks when I see them, and there are lot's of them here. I guess I'm not the only one. 2) As far as the players and the "hometown discount", I believe they are truly happy here and they know that "you don't mess with happy"!

cma3585 wrote:I have a friend who lives in Lebanon, PA and she says there's a marked difference in the general attitudes of people out this way compared to Eastern PA. I'm sure you can figure out what those differences are.

That's true. I live in Hummelstown (next to Hershey) and about 10 miles from Lebanon. I am a transplanted Pittsburgher (14 years now) and it is very different living here. Both areas bring their own set of values, advantages, and disadvantages. The initial culture shock was, well, shocking.

cma3585 wrote:I have a friend who lives in Lebanon, PA and she says there's a marked difference in the general attitudes of people out this way compared to Eastern PA. I'm sure you can figure out what those differences are.

That's true. I live in Hummelstown (next to Hershey) and about 10 miles from Lebanon. I am a transplanted Pittsburgher (14 years now) and it is very different living here. Both areas bring their own set of values, advantages, and disadvantages. The initial culture shock was, well, shocking.

I live right up 39, and all I can say is I hope I get put in the Pittsburgh area when I go for the state police.